I enjoyed Venom, the first book in this series. If, like me, your memory is a little fuzzy, Belladonna also does an excellent job of recapping the action in Venom. For me, these books are all about the setting. I was excited that Belladonna moved the story action from Venice to Florence. Though I didn't feel that Florence was as vividly portrayed as Venice was in the first book, small period details added to the overall atmosphere. I especially loved the information about medical treatment at the time, though it would have been helpful to have an author's note that explained what in the book was historically accurate and what was fictionalized. My ARC didn't have this information, though it may be in the finished copy.Were young girls in the water-bound city of Venice really not taught to swim? Were there real diseases at the time that fueled stories of vampires?Yes, vampires. I was definitely not expecting vampires to show up in this book. According to the OED, the term vampire was not even used until the 18th century, though folk tales about the undead and blood drinking did exist at the time of the story. In any case, I thought that the whole vampire mystique actually did marry well with the book's Renaissance setting, a time when artists were digging up dead bodies.Speaking of digging up dead bodies,Falco fans may be distressed to note that he's not a huge part of this book. Luca fans, he's not around a lot either. But interesting things happen in this Renaissance Love Triangle -- that's all I'm saying... I think readers who enjoy the lighter side of historical fiction will definitely enjoy this book and this series.
